Parks

De Blasio Announces $130 Million Park Equity Plan

In response to criticisms of the large investments in "big ticket" parks in wealthy neighborhoods during the Bloomberg Administration, New York City announced a park equity plan this week.

October 11, 2014 - New York Times

The Story Behind the 'Most Vetted Soccer Field in U.S. History'

A simple proposal to replace grass soccer fields with artificial turf, thus doubling the amount of time the fields could be used, has been frozen by the litigation and ballot initiatives of the San Francisco planning process.

September 26, 2014 - New York Times

54-Acre Park Planned for Bozeman, Montana

The Trust for Public Land is working with the city of Bozeman on a master planning process for a large park on the north side of town, with connections to the city's history as a railroad town and an agricultural center.

September 19, 2014 - NBC Montana

Miami Planning for a Ten-Mile Linear Park along Metrorail Tracks

With support from local governments and bureaucrats, a proposal to transform the existing "M-Path" rail line into a ten-mile linear park is gaining traction in Miami. Next up: an economic impact study.

September 18, 2014 - Miami Today

Key to Successful Parks: More Female Visitors

The example of Holladay Park in Portland is examined for lessons in improving public spaces through the help of private sector consultants.

September 10, 2014 - The Oregonian

Seattle's Voter-Approved Park Boom

With Seattle adding new density to go with its status as the fastest growing large city in the country, an August vote to approve and fund the Seattle Park District will have a large impact through the creation of small parks.

September 10, 2014 - The Seattle Times

The Reviews Are In: Philadelphia's New Dilworth Park

Calling it "a suit in a jeans-and-T-shirt world," Philadelphia Inquirer Architecture Critic Inga Saffron's review of the redesigned Dilworth Park in Philadelphia is more criticism than celebration.

September 9, 2014 - Philadelphia Inquirer

Los Angeles County's Creative Plans to Boost Parks

A recent Los Angeles Times article described the creative ways the city of Los Angeles is trying to meet park needs. Los Angeles County park planner Clement Lau describes the county's side of the story.

September 7, 2014 - UrbDeZine

Anchorage Alaska

Infographic Compares How Cities Prioritize Urban Parks

The latest installment of the GOOD Cities Project has produced an infographic that provides a look at the "ever-vital urban park" by comparing the park efforts of cities around the country.

August 27, 2014 - GOOD Magazine

Echo Park

Olmsted Alive! 'Emerald Necklace' Plan Proposed for Los Angeles

Inspired by a park system proposal by Frederick Law Olmsted from 1930 to build a network of parks and open space throughout the city, a coalition of advocates is reviving the idea of connecting people and parks throughout Los Angeles.

August 19, 2014 - Next City

Elfreth's Alley

Revisiting the Common Sense Elements of City Life

Chuck Wolfe revisits five instances of how we can learn from the urbanism we already have.

August 8, 2014 - The Huffington Post

How Los Angeles' Urban Parks Battle Climate Change

An overview of how Los Angeles County’s Department of Parks and Recreation is creating projects that tackle the effects of climate change, by planner Clement Lau.

August 1, 2014 - UrbDeZine

Los Angeles River Kayak

Ranking the Best (and Worst) Cities for Recreation

July is "National Park and Recreation Month." To commemorate, WalletHub compiled a ranking system that compares cities by their recreational opportunities.

July 25, 2014 - WalletHub

Chicago Bench

Study: Parks Make for Better People

Tom Jacobs details the findings of a study out of France that finds evidence of what researchers call "green altruism"—or people treating each other better after period of immersion in a natural environment.

July 23, 2014 - Pacific Standard

High Line park NYC - Manhattan - New York City

How Park Design Helps Keep Communities Healthy

A review of the healthiest cities in the United States establishes that urban parks play a vital role in the activity of a city. What conclusions can be drawn from each city?

July 20, 2014 - UrbDeZine

Report Decries Slow Project Delivery by New York City Parks Department

New Yorkers for Parks released a study earlier this month finding that the Department of Parks and Recreation is one of the city's slowest when it comes to finishing projects on a reasonable timeframe.

June 26, 2014 - New York Times

Tampa Plans to Update Riverfront Park

Tampa has hired Denver-based Civitas to lead the planning effort in the sorely-needed renovation of Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park. Mayor Bob Buckhorn supports the plan to renovate the 23-acre waterfront park.

June 11, 2014 - Tampa Bay CL

Reviewing San Francisco’s Presidio Conversion

The conversion of San Francisco’s Presidio military base to parkland is reviewed by Los Angeles County park planner Clement Lau.

June 10, 2014 - UrbDeZine

How to Put More Kick in Urban Parks and Recreation Planning

Los Angeles County planner Clement Lau makes a case for increasing the number of fields and facilities dedicated to a sport that is growing in popularity – soccer.

June 3, 2014 - UrbDeZine

Boom Times for New Orleans Park Construction

Katy Rechdahl describes a "dazzling" boom for New Orleans parks.

May 31, 2014 - Next City

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.